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American Featherfoil

Hottonia inflata

American featherfoil

American featherfoil flower
a small cluster of American featherfoil
American feather foil root and main stem

American featherfiol

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration – USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 710.

What is American Featherfoil?

Annual, aquatic herb with erect or ascending hollow; leafless flower stems

Physical Characteristics

Stem:

  • leafless
  • 6 inches

Leaves:

  • oblong in outline
  • dissected into filiform divisions
  • clustered at base of flower stems

Flowers:

  • small white
  • several in the whorls or joints to form an interrupted raceme

Where does American Featherfoil Grow?

American featherfoil can be found in shallow, quite, clear organic waters. Commonly grows in association with pennyworts and bladderworts.

Pros and Cons of American Featherfoil.

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.

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Photo Credits: The majority of the aquatic plant line drawings are the copyright of the University of Florida Center for Aquatic Plants (Gainsville). They are used with permission.

Aquatic plant photographs were provided by David Bayne, Jim Davis, Kelly Duffie, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, John Clayton, Chetta Owens, Diane Smith, Joe Snow, Don Steinbach, Bridget Robinson Lassiter and Peter Woods.

You may use these photos, so long as you give credit to AquaPlant.

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